Innovation Library: Adaptive Solutions

Tokaj Wine Region, Hungary

Tokaj Borvidék - Tokaj Festival Cauldron - Open Air theatre by recultivation of an old mine's site Cauldron

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

The average stay was one or two days in the Tokaj Wine area. More tourist attractions were needed to increase overnight stays in the region. The new cultural centre complex was built close to Tokaj's city centre in a Cauldron-form recultivated stone mine. Providing 2500 seats, the Tokaj Fesztiválkatlan became the largest open-air theatre and event venue in East-Hungary. The main goal was to support wine tourism and provide culture programs for wine lovers during the summer season. Summer theatres are really popular all over Europe and have the potential to attract thousands of visitors. One of the best practice theatres which was a role model for Tokaj, is the open theatre in St. Margareth in Austria. The recultivated stone mine has been working successfully for a few decades.

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

The idea for theatre came about at the beginning of 2000's. There had been a few ad hoc events held in the territory of the empty Cauldron of the stone mine in the past. Needless to say, the shows were extremely popular because of the unusual environment. Seeing the effect of the events, the Municipality of Tokaj hired an architect to plan a theatre in the pit. The plan was successful and it won the support of the European Union and the Hungarian Government. The budget was almost two billion Hungarian Forint, and the theatre opened its gates in August of 2014. The institution is run by a professional event organizer contractor, chosen by the local municipality on a public tender.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

During the last three years, the theatre has hosted more than 100,000 guests, increasing the guest nights significantly in Tokaj and in the surrounding villages. The multiplier effect of the open-air theatre also led to the growing popularity of the local restaurants and wineries. The contractor has been very successful in creating a positive image not just for Tokaj but the whole wine region. The infrastructure, incorporates an attractive public park too, and has also become a favourite meeting point for the locals.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

To sustainably manage the maintenance of the building, greener energy investment is needed. The theatre should be operated in all seasons, involve local entrepreneurs to help improve the tourism offer through providing accommodation and complementary experiences such as wine tours and canoe trips. Culture tourism packages needs to be developed by all local stakeholders - hotel owners, tour guides, tourism office and the theatre.

Contact and useful links:
Gábor Fintor - Email
+36 47 352-183
Tokaj Festival Cauldron webside  

Ancient City of Nessebar, Bulgaria

Ancient city of Nessebar - Traditional music festival "Mesembria orphica"

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

As citizens of Nessebar we are responsible for both our beautiful ancient town and the entire world. We wanted to ensure the conservation and protection of the old town while sharing its eternal beauty with all visitors to Nessebar. We wanted to find a way to do this sustainably so future generations could enjoy the World Heritage site.

The officials of the Municipal Administration of Nessebar, have been working on developing the cultural calendar, for its extension, enrichment, diversification, as well as to make it more interesting. We believe that it showcases our town, our cultural wealth, and our history to the guests and also show them that Nessebar has both a rich past and living present. In the spirit of this continuity we chose to add a new event to the cultural calendar of the town - the 'Mesembria Orphica' elite music festival.

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

The initiative "Mesembria orphica" presents an elite music festival of classical music - a combination of European music masterpieces and world class performers. The main goal of this festival is developing a large-scale and long-term cultural cooperation with the programs of the leading European cultural centres - such as Vienna, Paris, London, Rome, and Prague. Renowned musicians - soloists, artists, professionals from Vienna, Paris, Prague, Moscow and the future artistic elite of Bulgaria jointly take part in it. The program combines contemporary fine arts with concert recitals, interspersed with a variety of accents - from classical music masterpieces such as the Four Seasons by Vivaldi - to the rhythm of the Tango Argentino by Astor Piazzola.

By connecting young Bulgarian talents with big musicians of Europe and the world - we create new bridges and space for dreams and aspiration. We are willing to show that classical music, essential to the European cultural tradition, unites the world by means of its eternal spiritual values. Our mission is to make the message of this unique art reach listeners' minds, enriching them by bringing awareness to factors of utmost importance such as beauty, humanism and harmony; a message of humanity and spiritual tolerance that we need so much in this day and age.

The organizational team of the festival consists of the following positions: Honorary Presidium: Mr. Nikolay Dimitrov - Mayor of the town of Nesebar, Prof. Bogdan Bogdanov - Honorary Chairperson (President) of New Bulgarian University, Andrea Kazini - Deputy Chairperson of the Managing Board and Chief Operative Director of UniCredit Bulbank, Prof. Milena Mollova - concerting artist, Honorary Camerata Orphica Chairperson andProf. Dr. Michael Frischenschlager - President of the "Orpheus International Music Academy" and the Fritz Kreisler foundation, Vienna

The team consists of: Prof. Dr. Mario Hossen - Artistic Director, Prof. Dr. Rainer Bischoff - Commissary, Vasil Stoev - Artistic Consultant, Alexander Preys - Chief Coordinator, Webgene Designs - Graphic Design and Krasimir Shterev - Concertmaster

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

The establishment of a new festival in the cultural program of the city is a complex and long process, but this year the initiative was held for the third time in a row. The observed results are entirely positive, the quality of the cultural program of the city during the active tourist season is improved and the festival is receiving more and more attention with each subsequent edition.

Contact and useful links:
Mariya Gancheva - Email
Mesembria Orfica Festival
Promotional video - Mesembria Orfica Festival

Wallonia Major Mining sites, Belgium

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

We wanted to reduce our carbon footprint for transportation as our site is only accessible via private car or bus. Implementing green energy innovations has been difficult due to the restrictions and regulations that come with UNESCO Heritage status. Despite this, we have been focusing on improving our sustainable practices.

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

We have conducted three studies at Blegney with the support of the University of Liège.

• Geothermy: The first looked at geothermy, and was based on pumping water in Pit number 1. The problem that has to be solved is how and where the pumped water can be reinjected into the ground at a safe depth.
• Efficient Heating systems: Storing energy (heat fluids) in former settling basins, making a kind of thermos of each of them, has been considered to heat the most costly building for heating: Pit Mary. This research project is still running.
• Solar paneled roads: The production of electricity by photovoltaic systems has been considered, by installing photovoltaic tiles on the roofs of protected monuments or by building a solar road as access way to parking areas.

The system has been studied by Wattway in France. It is currently an expensive project: €5,000,000/km, or €17/kilowatt-peak, but it is easy to install and can be installed on existing roads. It is strong enough for heavy coaches and trucks, and the price could decrease if the production could commence at an industrial level.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

These projects are still in progress so we do not have any tangible results to present yet. Currently, we think it will be possible and an attractive idea in regard to the theme of energy we are trying to develop at our site.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

These innovations open new possibilities and new contacts, connecting the present and the future, especially with the university and with administrations in charge of research. It is important that the sites continue to stay up to date with the modern world as well as with our past history and our heritage.

Contacts and useful links:
Jacques Crul - Email

Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen, Germany

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

Zollverein is not just a historical site. "Preservation through conversion" was the principle when the coal mine was closed in 1986, and it has remained the guiding principle ever since. The keyword "change" is part of the history of Zollverein. In 2018, when there will be a big and final industrial cut in Germany with end of coal mining, Zollverein - once the largest coal mining facility in the world - wants to provide answers for the future and be an leader in two future-industry-themes: digitalization and e-mobility.

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

The innovation takes place on different levels:

• Education: In November 2017, a new University opens its doors on the site: on the same spot where thousands of miners have been working very hard in former times, today 500 students of the Folkwang University learn how to create websites and design new products.
• Business incubator: In 2018 a private investor will begin the construction of a new business incubator on the site, especially for the topics energy, sustainability and mobility.
• Tourism market / Event business: Docked on a brand new website, the site manager is planning to develop several digital solutions such as indicator panels, augmented reality tools, multi-lingual apps and more. The goal is to develop a modern staging of the site,to attract more visitors and to optimize the setting for the needs of the business events.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

We are still in the early stages of development of this innovation so we do not have results yet.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?
Try to develop a masterplan for your innovations.

Contact and useful links:
Delia Bösch - Email

Falun Mining Area, Sweden

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

The foundation owns all 40 properties on the site and the rental income provides valuable revenue for the foundation, yet prior to this project many of the buildings with ranging conditions were underutilised or unused.
Our goal was:

• to increase length of stay and yield at the site. 
  

• to encourage repeat visitation for locals throughout the year. 
  

• to promote accommodation options in the area.
  

• to build a new restaurant with food of high quality.
  

• to establish a B&B to encourage visitors to stay overnight in the area.
  

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

We wanted to create a separation between the business and tourism based companies. We contacted companies that we felt fitted out set of values to build a network of companies. During this period we welcomed 18 new tenants and reorganised the offices according to their function. We have built a new restaurant, a modern building with a design that fits well with the old buildings in the area. We have established a B&B in an old office building. A disused storehouse is now a garden shop and another former office building is now selling children's clothes. We also have a rental service, a hairdressers and a dog grooming service.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

Today we have 5 private houses, 19 shops, 1 restaurant, 1 B&B, 2 cafés and 14 offices. We increased revenue from rental income for maintenance at the site and have seen an increase in visitor numbers. Additionally, the new businesses working on the site are acting as ambassadors for the UNESCO Heritage site.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

Transparency, positive relationships with stakeholders and swift decision making are all important qualities for our innovation. We learned the importance of building for the future and working hard to create a good network. It is also very important to promote both the challenges and benefits of establishing a business on a World Heritage Site. Our experience is that a World Heritage site like Falun can attract a lot of companies and provide benefits for both hosts and residents. If we can get companies that see a value in establishing business here they can be effective ambassadors for the World Heritage site.

Contacts and useful links:
Anna Björkman, manager Stora Kopparberget Foundation - Email
Falu Gruva

Upper Middle Rhine Valley, Germany

World Heritage Host's Programme to revitalise the Upper Middle Rhine Valley

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

Although it has been a popular tourism region for 200 years, The Rhine Valley has suffered from an antiquated image and a lack of modern tourism experiences. This led to a stagnation of tourism - less overnight stays and fewer tourists.

The World Heritage association "Zweckverband" took the initiative to bring the key tourism partners and stakeholders together in 2010. The idea developed to focus on improving quality, through the concept "We are World Heritage"! World Heritage inscription is not only an honour, it also encourages commitment and a joint challenge for all local players (in 48 communities).

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

The European Tourism Institute in Trier was assigned by Zweckverband as the operating partner. The project also involved stakeholders who benefit from tourism including the tourism managers, hotel owners, the representatives of the important associations, the wine marketing, boat companies, the chamber of commerce. Together we created a new quality brand: the World Heritage Host with a common criterion for all participants.

Any type of tourism service provider can become a Heritage Host, from a 4 star hotels to private guesthouses. To join, they must be:

• Classified by the national Hotel and hospitality association,
• Part of the "Servicequality Germany" initiative
• Member of the World Heritage Tourist association (this membership-fee is the only direct financial support of a host)

Additionally, they have to fulfil different tasks or offers on a points system, divided in 4 topics: Quality in Information and Communication, Networking, Product Quality and Quality of Offer. Some examples of criteria include:

• At least 80% of produce and wine are locally sourced from the Rhine Valley
• Tourism brochures and information are on display
• Staff are trained about the importance of UNESCO Heritage status
• Take part in mystery checks

To participate in the project, a host is expected to put a lot of time into the network, as due to the continuing personal quality standards process, they have to attend a minimum of six meetings per year. This consists of training seminars such as online marketing, story telling or energy efficiency and one focused on exploring new tourism services or attractions in the region. These are used as familiarisation tours as many members find it difficult to leave their property to gain knowledge about other tourism services in the region due to time constraints.
The Zweckverband is still the leader of the project.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

We have experienced many positive results through this innovation. Cooperation rather than competition between the Heritage Hosts has led to a common understanding between tourism managers and hosts.

As an organization, we have gained a comprehensive knowledge of the wishes and needs of guests. The Heritage Hosts act as ambassadors for the region and promote the UNESCO World Heritage site. It has also become easier to identify areas for improvement such as issues of seasonality and encouraging winter visitation as there are many voices contributing to the group.

This initiative was implemented in the regional tourism strategy and we are still in the process of development. Being part of this group has improved awareness of our World Heritage status amongst stakeholders and given them a greater sense of responsibility. The "World Heritage Host Upper Middle Rhine" is now established as a quality brand in the regional tourism marketing.

Due to the varying capabilities, we have also ensured that 4 star hotel owners have different expectations and requirements compared to an owner of a private guesthouse. Businesses also need to be recertified every three years to ensure members maintain a high level of service.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

We found that it is very important to act with a common interest and with patience and endurance. You also need a responsible leader, like Zweckverband, with financial support.

**Contacts and useful links: **
Sara Isabelle Scheer - Email
Tel.: +49 (0) 6771 9599 104
Zweckverband website

Historic Centre of Brugge, Belgium

How to keep Bruges Livable (for residents) and thus attractive for visitors.

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

Worldwide visitor numbers in destinations are growing and even more growth is forecast in the coming decades. In the European art city segment the increase of the number of visitors is expected to be even stronger. However, more and more we see negative news about crowding and the pressure on residents. Visit Bruges wanted to investigate the carrying capacity in Flemish tourism destinations.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicts growth to increase from 8.75 to 13.5 million visitors a year (by 2030). By monitoring visitors, we can work towards achieving a balance between inhabitants and visitors.

Brussels is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Belgium, with around 5.1 million daily tourists and 1.5 million residential tourists every year. Tourism in Brussels is worth almost one billion euros annually. The capital city is promoted as a destination by visit.brussels. "Our objective consists in attracting more visitors to Brussels," says Frédéric Cornet, Research & Development Manager at visit.brussels. "We want to improve promotion of the city, be able to measure the success of events and provide better support to our business partners. To do this, we first need to gain insight into the visitors. What we want to know is very simple: what do visitors come to Brussels for?"

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

Mapping tourists' movements and motivations is easier said than done. It's always busy in Brussels. 1.2 million people live in the region and 350,000 people come to Brussels from outside the region to work every day. There are various ways of measuring tourist activity, you can conduct a survey. This generates a lot of good information, but it is also labor-intensive and expensive. You can study social-media heat maps but that doesn't always provide useful information. Most tourists tweet from Central Station, but that doesn't mean that the location is a top tourist spot.

Use of mobile location services offered a solution. Together with mobile provider Proximus, we launched a project to analyze mobile phone data at ten tourist locations in Brussels, such as the Grand' Place or the Atomium. Of course, the analysis is carried out completely anonymously here too and Proximus only provides aggregated information to visit.brussels. The project allows us to count the number of national and international visitors at the ten locations, without counting the functional traffic - residents and people who work in Brussels. This enables us to know how long a visit to the location lasts on average and where visitors stay.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

The project has provided us with insight on who, when, from where, what transport used, point of entry in the country, day visitors, cruise visitors etc. According to our research, 7.8 million people visited the Bruges inner city in 2015.

A visitor barometer was compiled using the mobile phone data. Bruges welcomed 1.27 million daily visitors from within a radius of 20 kilometres, 1.28 million overnight stays were recorded, while there were 5.27 million day trippers.Most day trippers paid their visit in August and December. Over half were foreign nationals. 34.5% haled from neighbouring countries including the UK, Spain and Italy.

Bruges recorded 2.2 million overnight stays. On average people stayed 1.75 nights in a bed in Bruges. On the busiest nights 45,000 visitors are staying in Bruges. The Christmas holidays, Easter and Labour Day are the busiest times of the year for Bruges.

Day trippers and overnight stays spent 441 million euros in the city.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

It's been a highly educational project. The reports contain very important information for various stakeholders, including the city itself, but also event organizers. The information should allow Brussels to better manage the stream of tourists, so that the visitors can be spread better across the different hotspots. Event organizers can use the analysis to improve their services. When they have access to correct visitor numbers, they can provide the necessary facilities, such as catering and sanitary provisions, in the right locations.

The data enables us to monitor, gain knowledge, exchange and develop a strategic plan and long term strategy for the World Heritage city.

Promotional campaigns and product development are being developed according to overall strategy and selected target groups.

Contacts and useful links:
Visit Bruges, Bruno Janssens - Email

Additional sources:
Tourism gains new insight from mobile phone data
7.8 million people visited Bruges
Resident survey Bruges 2016

Wachau Cultural Landscape, Austria

Excellence tourism business network "Best of Wachau"

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

Prior to the establishment of the 'Best of Wachau' network, tourism marketing for hospitality businesses in the tourism region of Wachau had to make sure that each and every business paying into the system had to be advertised the same way. promoted as one entity. This made it difficult for guests to differentiate between the different character and quality level of local accommodation providers.

Additionally, the tourism management board was not satisfied with the level of knowledge that local businesses and their employees had about the region and put recent initiatives in place to facilitate the visitor experience in the World Heritage cultural landscape of Wachau.

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

In 2010, a project manager was employed to discuss this issue with the businesses of the region, supported by a professional tourism consultant. The taskforce designed a set of guidelines that applies to members of the 'Best of Wachau' network.

• Potential members first of all need to have already reached a certain level of starts or similar quality criteria.
• Because of the different specific regions dividing the World Heritage perimeter, only hotels, inns, restaurants, B&B's (both farming and non-farming) and cafés can become members. Wineries follow different quality certifications in the different winegrowing regions of the site and therefore cannot become member as such.
• Each potential member receives a visit by the consultants, discussing ways of increasing both the general visitor experience and in particular their knowledge and the representation of regional issues in the business.
• A few months later, the business receives a mystery guest check visit and is rated following a detailed scheme. In order to become member of the group, they have to reach 85 % of the maximum score.
• The final rules were set up by the businesses themselves together with the tourism management board. Some of their representatives were voted into a commission discussing new applications. The commission may also decide to incorporate a business which only comes up to 80 %. But still, the rules and the quality level are both very strict.
• The project also offers a variety of seminars and excursions to its members, in order to additionally work on their quality. Each business is also obliged to visit a minimum number of group meetings in order to make sure that all members contribute to the further development of the group. They also have to contribute to the programme with an annual membership fee amounting to between 500 and 1,000 EUR per year.

Some of the criteria and basic ideas about the scheme were gathered in close cooperation with the World Heritage site Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Germany, who introduced a similar scheme some years ahead of the Wachau.

The implementation of the system was mainly financed by the Leader programme of the European Union with the participation of the site management and regional development authorities of the region.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

Since the initial official certification ceremony, a high ticket party with important federal state officials, such as the responsible minister for commerce and tourism, the number of participating businesses has remained constant. Today, 54 businesses are part of the group and have successfully worked together for six years.

An additional feature was recently developed called the "Gold Club". Participating businesses exclusively offer their long-term guests (from a minimum of three consecutive overnight stays) experiences and incentives to enjoy with their hosts and offer something special and unique that other guests to the accommodation cannot enjoy.

Out of a number of similar schemes, our best-of activities proved to be the most sustainable programme implemented in the state of Lower Austria during the last 10 years.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

It needs constant professional support to the group if you want to keep it working. This why a project leader from the tourism management board still supports the group in their activities.

Unfortunately, the tourism management board has not managed to make the programmer financially self-sustaining so it continues to need European financing schemes. This might prove crucial in a few years, since the future of those grants is uncertain due to general political discussions about the Rural Development programmes of the EU and the shortening of financial means in Europe.

It is important to ensure that business professionals are involved in the management of the programme as they are the foundation for the success of the 'Best of Wachau' network.

Contacts and useful links:
Peter Sigmund, MBA (COO of Wachau tourism) - Email
Website (only in German)